The merger of computer and communications technology into an integrated information technology has lead to the development of broadcast and data communication systems which utilize communication satellites, antennas, transmitters and receivers, analog and digital networks, modems and fiber optic cables to relay information between computing devices, e.g., from an information service provider to a personal computing device. The information relayed by the broadcast and data communication systems includes a wide variety of data such as images, sound, text, voice, and/or video data. The information can also include digital, interactive data services provided by, for example, the internet.
In the following text the expression the "internet" refers to a computing infrastructure whose protocols and operating rules effectively permit the creation of a world-wide "network of networks." By connecting a personal computing device to the internet, digital, interactive data may be requested by and transmitted to the personal computing device from an interactive data service provider that is also connected to the internet. Thus, the internet permits the formation of a matrix of interconnected computing devices which have the ability to exchange information. The interactive data exchanged between the computing devices includes multimedia data in which high resolution graphics, video and sound are incorporated.
Typically, fiber optic cables, wires, switches, routers and other communications technologies have connected individual personal computing devices over a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to the internet. Generally, data transmission rates over the PSTN are relatively low speed. That is, data transmission rates are typically in a range below, for example, 50 kilobits per second. Performance in a multimedia-based, internet environment suffers due to the relatively low speed transmission rates of the PSTN.
Prior art solutions to improve transmission rates have included providing wide bandwidth, high-speed data transmissions found on, for example, a cable television infrastructure. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,913, issued Jul. 9, 1996, entitled "Apparatus and Method for Integrating Downstream Data Transfer Over a Cable Television Channel with Upstream Data Carrier by Other Media", by Majeti et al., a telecommunication network is disclosed that utilizes high-speed, cable transmission channels to transport information on a downstream channel from an information service provider to a user's customer premises equipment. Majeti et al. also disclose an infrastructure which simultaneously permits a lower speed upstream channel for transmitting user requests for information to an information service provider. In Majeti et al. high-speed cable transmission channels of about, for example, 6 megahertz are utilized to enable substantially higher transmission rates than would be possible over the PSTN. By utilizing the cable transmission channels for transmitting data from the information service provider to the user's customer premises equipment performance within the internet environment is said can be improved.
However, a need remains for a method and apparatus which employs the cable distribution network to provide high-speed data transmission rates while also allowing localized access to information service providers located on the downstream communication channel. By routing requests for information to information service providers coupled on the downstream communication channel a more cost effective architecture could be realized.